“Reverse imports” ease trade pressure: Toyota Motor Corporation (TM.US) plans to sell American Camry and pickups back to the Japanese market

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Toyota Motor (TM.US) said on Friday that it plans to start selling its American-made Camry cars, Highlander SUVs, and Tantra pickups in Japan next year, hoping this move will help improve trade relations between Japan and the US.

<sectionclass=ybc-p> The world's largest automaker said in October that it is studying the possibility of “reverse imports.” Currently, Japan is trying to appease US President Donald Trump over a huge trade surplus with the US. </sectionclass=ybc-p>

As Japan's largest automobile manufacturer, Toyota is trying to persuade Trump to lower tariffs on Japanese cars and related parts exported to the US. In November of last year, when Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda hosted a NASCAR promotion event in Japan, he was wearing a red “MAGA” hat and T-shirts with images of Trump and Vice President Vance.

As early as May, Akio Toyota proposed to then-Prime Minister Ishiwari Shigeru that US automakers could use Toyota's sales network in Japan to sell cars in Japan. Ultimately, the US-Japan trade agreement included a clause requiring Japan to “open the market” to allow cars to be imported from the US.

<sectionclass=ybc-p> <sectionclass=ybc-p> In addition, last month, Toyota also started production at its $13.9 billion battery plant in North Carolina to expand hybrid vehicle production, and confirmed plans to invest $10 billion in the US manufacturing industry over the next five years. </sectionclass=ybc-p> </sectionclass=ybc-p>